Aug 06, 2013
Virginia has had 100 dolphin carcasses on its shores this year. Twenty-five dead or dying bottlenose dolphins have washed up on New Jersey shores since July 9, while Maryland and Delaware have seen several dead dolphins on its shores this summer. And in July, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries declared an Unusual Mortality Event for bottlenose dolphins in Florida's Indian River Lagoon, where 50 dead dolphins have been found, a number three times the historical average.
"It is alarming since it's much higher than normal and in such a short amount of time," the Baltimore Sun quotes Jennifer Dittmar, the stranding coordinator for the National Aquarium in Baltimore as saying. "As far as an overall effect it's having on the population, it's hard to tell right now."
Scientists aren't sure what's causing the deaths at this point, though Susan Barco, research coordinator for the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, said the strandings are "eerily familiar" to mass die-off of dolphins in 1987 when the measles-like morbillivirus brought 750 dolphin carcases to shores between New Jersey and Florida.
One expert says the die-off may be issuing a warning about the health of the ocean.
"This is really frightening because these animals are sentinels of ocean health," the Baltimore Sun quotes Barco as saying. "Strandings have been much more common in the past few decades, and we think it's an indication of the health of our ecosystem."
____________________
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Virginia has had 100 dolphin carcasses on its shores this year. Twenty-five dead or dying bottlenose dolphins have washed up on New Jersey shores since July 9, while Maryland and Delaware have seen several dead dolphins on its shores this summer. And in July, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries declared an Unusual Mortality Event for bottlenose dolphins in Florida's Indian River Lagoon, where 50 dead dolphins have been found, a number three times the historical average.
"It is alarming since it's much higher than normal and in such a short amount of time," the Baltimore Sun quotes Jennifer Dittmar, the stranding coordinator for the National Aquarium in Baltimore as saying. "As far as an overall effect it's having on the population, it's hard to tell right now."
Scientists aren't sure what's causing the deaths at this point, though Susan Barco, research coordinator for the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, said the strandings are "eerily familiar" to mass die-off of dolphins in 1987 when the measles-like morbillivirus brought 750 dolphin carcases to shores between New Jersey and Florida.
One expert says the die-off may be issuing a warning about the health of the ocean.
"This is really frightening because these animals are sentinels of ocean health," the Baltimore Sun quotes Barco as saying. "Strandings have been much more common in the past few decades, and we think it's an indication of the health of our ecosystem."
____________________
Virginia has had 100 dolphin carcasses on its shores this year. Twenty-five dead or dying bottlenose dolphins have washed up on New Jersey shores since July 9, while Maryland and Delaware have seen several dead dolphins on its shores this summer. And in July, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries declared an Unusual Mortality Event for bottlenose dolphins in Florida's Indian River Lagoon, where 50 dead dolphins have been found, a number three times the historical average.
"It is alarming since it's much higher than normal and in such a short amount of time," the Baltimore Sun quotes Jennifer Dittmar, the stranding coordinator for the National Aquarium in Baltimore as saying. "As far as an overall effect it's having on the population, it's hard to tell right now."
Scientists aren't sure what's causing the deaths at this point, though Susan Barco, research coordinator for the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, said the strandings are "eerily familiar" to mass die-off of dolphins in 1987 when the measles-like morbillivirus brought 750 dolphin carcases to shores between New Jersey and Florida.
One expert says the die-off may be issuing a warning about the health of the ocean.
"This is really frightening because these animals are sentinels of ocean health," the Baltimore Sun quotes Barco as saying. "Strandings have been much more common in the past few decades, and we think it's an indication of the health of our ecosystem."
____________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.